History Garage

The History Garage which is in Odaiba, Tokyo is a great place to learn a little about cars, or just a place to kill some time. See it here with a few pictures

If you are in Odaiba and need something to fill a little bit of time, look no further than the Toyota History Garage. And if you are a car lover, then it'll probably be the closest thing to heaven on earth! The museum is run by Toyota, but you can see cars from many different companies and different time periods. There might be bigger and better car museums in Japan, but this is probably the best of its type in Tokyo.

The Toyota Crown RSD that was raced in the fifth round of the Mobilgas rally in Australia in 1957

Most of the cars are on the second floor where you`ll find some in a garage-type area with complete with fuel pumps and jukeboxes with others in a narrow European street that has washing strung out high above. The first floor also has some cars as well as the Alessandra Nannini cafe, a gift shop with loads of models cars to look at or buy. There is even a working garage where you can see the mechanics working on cars and even pay them a visit. I like cars, but I don’t consider myself to be an keen enthusiast. My knowledge about them is very average, but I do enjoy looking at them. and the History Garage presents them in immaculate condition.

I visited the History Garage on August 15 (2016) and some of the cars I saw on display when I visited included: 1) a BMW Isetta 300; 2) Chevrolet Impala; 3) Corvette Stingray 1963; 4) Datsun 16 from 1937; 5) Delorean DMC-12; 6) Fairlady Z (or Datsun 240Z); 7) Ferrari Dino 246 GTS and; 8) a Toyota 2000GT a car which appeared in the James Bond film, “You Only Live Twice”. And on top of that, they also have special displays that change regularly. Currently, until early September the exhibition is about rally cars used by Toyota over the years. I thought it was very good as they are real cars used in real races from the 1980s to now.

1959 Chevrolet Impala

The History Garage is a great place for a visit, and it isn't only about cars. With it being located in the Venus Fort shopping center, there is a lot to do after you've finished visiting the cars. Of course you can shop and eat, but there is a lot to do in Odaiba too, such as walk across Rainbow Bridge, visit the Museum of Maritime Science; go shopping, take pictures of the Statue of Liberty,or check out the Gundam cafe and Fuji Television, just to name a few. You can see the museum's homepage here.

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How to get to the History Garage?

The History Garage is located in the Venus Fort shopping center in Odaiba. There are two ways to get there. If you are coming from Shinbashi, use the Yurikamome monorail, get off at Aomi station and you`ll see Venus Fort just across the road. You can also use the Rinkai line which you can get from Shinjuku or Shibuya and get off at Tokyo Teleport. If you are walking to Venus Fort from somewhere in Odaiba, but not sure of the direction just look for the giant Ferris wheel and head towards it. Here is a Google Map to help you:

Opening hours

It is open seven (7) days a week from 11am to 9pm, however it is closed one Monday per month. Please check the website to see which Monday.

Celica GT-Four (ST185) rally car from 1993

Admission costs

Free

Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205) rally car

At the back of the museum on the second floor is a 30 meter hallway filled with models of cars